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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Did MLS Block a Player Transfer?

Article by Anders Aarhus

There was plenty to talk about with the MLS All-Star game
last night as MLS defeated Chelsea 3-2. But just as intriguing as the victory
was the interview with MLS commissioner Don Garber at halftime. Halftime
interviews can be a waste of time, but kudos to the cast of ESPN, specifically
Kasey Keller and Alexi Lalas, for asking some tough and direct questions. The
most interesting piece of information came as a result of Lalas’ question in
regards to the Geoff Cameron transfer saga and what the league’s role is in
determining transfers. Specifically, the question centered on the rumor that
the league had blocked Toronto FC from signing Swedish defender Olof Mellberg.
Garber’s response:

“Let's put Mellberg aside. The league
hasn't nixed that, Toronto has decided that economically it didn't make sense
for them, and at the end of the day it was a decision that they felt was in their
best interest. Let's talk about Geoff, because I know that got a lot of buzz.
You know, at the end of the day, the league has gotta come in and make
decisions that are in the best interest of everybody; the player, the club and
the league. Now the good news is, Geoff is on his way to being transferred and
that worked out, but we've gotta be sure that we're making the right decision,
that the first offer that comes in we just don't accept. Remember guys,
Charlton Athletic offered half of what Fulham offered when ultimately Clint
when over there and I get that the fact that players might want to go when the
first thing happens, somebody has got to take a step back and say hey, might be
the starting center back for our national team, a player that we would have
loved to renegotiate his deal and pay him more money to stay, at the end of the
day it worked out that he's gonna get transferred and I think ultimately
positive for everybody.”

That would be
all well and good had it not been for several journalists who quickly pointed
out that Toronto had made no such decision. As Ives Galarcep posted on twitter,
“Interesting from
Don Garber at halftime. Says Olof Mellberg deal wasn't in best interest of MLS,
but denied MLS blocked TFC signing him.” He continued in a second tweet,
“Interesting because multiple sources told me TFC had a 2.5 year, $1.5 million
a year deal in place w/Mellberg, but MLS killed the deal.” Duane Rollins,
managing editor of Canadian Soccer News (CSN) also weighed in on Garber’s
comments tweeting, “For the record, CSN's sources are IN the #TFC front office and it's been
confirmed by those VERY high. @thesoccerdon [Don Garber’s twitter handle/account] is lying.” This was in
reference to an article posted on the CSN website when
it was originally announced Mellberg wouldn’t be joining the league.

Without hard evidence or people in the Toronto organization
speaking on record, it’s impossible to determine what really killed the deal,
but the fact a rumor of the league denying a transfer exists and has gathered
some steam reflects badly on MLS. The single entity model has done wonders for
American soccer, creating stability and preventing overexpansion that would
almost certainly destroy the league. However, with the league owning all player
contracts and having the final say on player movement there will always be
controversy when these kinds of situations arise.

As Garber pointed out this system has worked in the past
like in the case of Clint Dempsey. Had Dempsey gone to Charlton Athletic
instead of Fulham it’s hard to imagine him having the same level of success or
developing into the world-class player he is now. That said the league
negotiating transfers can be unfair to the club that produces the player. Geoff
Cameron is set to move to Stoke, but had the deal collapsed as a result of MLS
holding out for a higher transfer fee Houston would have been left with nothing
but an unhappy player.

It’s also important to consider that some of the money
received from player transfers is redistributed throughout MLS, another reason
why the league attempts to get the highest possible fee from every deal. This
helps maintain the parity MLS prides itself on, but again the club who owns the
player is at a disadvantage because they don’t receive full value for their
asset. Like it or hate it the system is here to stay for the foreseeable future
although if Garber hopes to see the league become one of the best in the world,
it will likely have to change someday.